Tuesday's Briefing: Berkeley May Become Sanctuary City for Cannabis; OPD Rookie Valedictorian Arrested for DUI

Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 9:35 AM

1. Berkeley would become a sanctuary city for cannabis under a proposal scheduled for a vote tonight by the city council, reports Annie Ma of the San Francisco Chronicle$. The proposal, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, would make it illegal for Berkeley police or any other city employee to help federal anti-marijuana efforts.

2. A rookie Oakland police officer who was the valedictorian of his academy class was arrested for drunken driving early Monday on Interstate 580 in Oakland near the Park Boulevard exit, reports Kimberly Veklerov of the San Francisco Chronicle. "Officer Isaac Goins, 25, completed the 175th basic academy in January 2017 at the top of the 24-person class."

3. The state Water Resources Control Board is poised to make it a crime to waste water in California, the Orange County Register$ reports (h/t Rough & Tumble). The proposal, which the board is scheduled to vote on next week, would establish $500 fines for people who over water their lawns, wash down sidewalks and driveways, and wash their cars without a shutoff valve, among other wasteful practices.

4. A homeless man died in a blaze at a sprawling encampment in the 2600 block of Northgate Avenue of Oakland early Monday, the East Bay Times$ reports. "The fire gutted a makeshift shack and burned other debris in the area. The homeless encampment is underneath a freeway overpass and near BART tracks."

Brian Hofer wrote in a letter that a police misconduct investigator was more interested in the immigration status of Oakland residents than false claims made by Anne Kirkpatrick. Plus, the council bars any cooperation between OPD and ICE.